


An unexpected member

by Hitorideshota



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Bruises, Child Abandonment, Childhood, Children, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Cute Kids, Druids, Elf/Human Relationship(s), Fantasy, Hiding, High Fantasy, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Minor Injuries, Monks, Paladins, Prostitution, Sex Work, Sleepy Cuddles, Smoking, Tieflings, Warlocks, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:20:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hitorideshota/pseuds/Hitorideshota
Summary: An adventuring party set up in a fancy inn to rest after some work in the wilds. Seems like they will have to fix some more issues before they leave
Comments: 7
Kudos: 6





	1. Welcome to the city

**Author's Note:**

> First proper work I make.  
> All feedback appreciated. hit me. I can take it  
> :)

The group of boys were confidently walking through the streets of Wolfpine city. Not even the grumpy guards at the city gates could lower their adventuring spirits. They had only met a few days ago for a contract, but after spending most of the day fighting all sorts of monstrosities together, they had bonded enough to consider becoming an adventuring party for a while. But all those details would be tomorrow’s business, today was all about celebrating their victory... and their first payday.

“You all did a wonderful job today, worthy of a few songs!” said Lord Musu, loudly and full of energy. 

He had appointed himself the leader of the group, mostly because he wouldn’t shut up about it and no one else cared enough. He knew this town a little bit, and was leading them to a fancy and expensive inn. It would be a nice change of pace after spending the last few days camping in the wild. 

He stopped for a second to look back, “Drinks are on me tonight.”

“Do you ever shut up?” muttered Saeta under his breath. 

Saeta had injured his leg, and couldn’t really keep up the pace with the big burly man in front. He was using his bo as a walking stick and had to lean over his twin brother Finna.

“This would be much faster if you just let me carry you,” Musu replied with a grin on his face.

“And lose what’s left of my pride? Nu huh. If it bothers you just go on ahead, I will find you eventually.”

“Now, now brother. Don’t get too worked up” Finna said. 

He was used to calming down his brother as they usually got in a lot of trouble when they were younger. He knew Saeta was just trying to take the attention away from his leg. 

“We’ve all got our set of bruises. Let’s just relax tonight, and we will be good to go tomorrow morning.”

Running from the back of the group appeared Elison, the youngest of the group. Being only thirteen years old, the group was hesitant to let him take part in the operation, but he had definitely proved himself to be very useful in a scrap.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it too much! You looked so cool doing your flips, and dodging, and punching”-he punched and kicked the air, mimicking Saeta- “One of those spiders almost get me because I got distracted”

Saeta couldn’t help but smile seeing the happy boy trying to do monk stunts in front of him. Even Merovech, the wizard, gloomily hanging to the side wasn’t immune to Elison’s charm. Musu laughed, grabbed Elison by the chest, and sat him up on his shoulders.

“And yet you were the most surprising of all, kiddo. That was quite the display of magic. I wish I had half your bravery when I was your age”

Elison couldn’t contain his happiness, his eyes sparkled from joy. He had read so many stories about adventurers, heroes and mighty deeds, that he couldn’t believe that he was surrounded by a bunch of cool people and being considered as one of them.

Musu started walking again, “Let’s celebrate like heroes tonight” 

The boy pointed his arm forward, with a big smile on his face, trying to think how he would start the letter telling his parents about all the fun he had today.


	2. Inside The Molten Rapier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foods and drinks and "extra services". Fancy inns certainly have a good amount of fun in them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that some people don't know too much about dnd. I'll add a description for the spells used at the end in order of appearance.

The party walked deeper into the city. The place they were looking for was a large building right at the edge of one of the rivers that ran through the city. Musu had to ask around a few times, but they eventually reached their destination. They were in front of this massive three story tavern, large windows and a few balconies. It looked like a very old building compared to its surroundings, but it was most likely an aesthetic choice from whoever ran this place. A giant fancy sign was embedded into the wall reading The Molten Rapier. Smell of delicious food drifted towards the boys, as well as some music and chattering from the inside. Considering the late hour, most people were off work, and it probably was a busy night. Musu signaled everyone together.

“Alright boys, first impressions are a must. We have the money, we can spend it. We go in, we sit on the largest table and we enjoy ourselves”

Finna took a quick look at the group. “Well, we should probably clean up a bit then. I’m pretty sure that’s some barghest blood on your cape”

“I got it,” said Merovech moving his hand in the air, quickly removing the stains from their clothes. “It’s incredible how many wizards end up being the janitor of the party.”

“And you do a damn good job at it Mero,”-said musa giving him a pat on the back-”then we all go in, best way to get acknowledged in a tavern… you give free drinks to everyone. Elison! Can you do your flickering lights thing you did before? That will make it more ominous”

“You got it sir!” Said the boy, once again, happy to be included in the plan.

They all stepped up to the door. Elison took his staff out, and with his thaumaturgy opened the door in a quick swing. Musu went in, heroically waving his cape around with Elison hiding behind him, making all the lights in the room dimmer.

“Good evening everyone, your heroes come back victorious!”-he yelled, spreading his arms-”Let’s all celebrate with a round of ale for everyone here!”

Elison was on point with the torches flaring up just as Musu was hyping up the room, he even added some lightning sounds coming from the middle of the room, catching the attention of anyone who still wasn’t looking. The patrons hesitated for a bit, but quickly the sounds of cheers and laughter filled the room, the music starting up once again. Some glasses were raised in the name of these “heroes”, no one really knew who they were, but just as Musu said, no one says no to a free drink. The party confidently walked towards a large table near the center, Saeta trying his best to walk normally in case anyone was looking. A young waitress came up to them to make sure they were set up comfortably, and noted down their order of all sorts of foods, drinks, and a glass of apple juice for Elison. They all throw their bags under the table, and get on feasting on a well deserved dinner. It was a great evening, the food was pretty good, great music, some people even stopped by their table to hear their adventurous tale. Eventually people started leaving for home, calming down the atmosphere and making it much easier to talk privately.

Saeta takes a break from his messy eating and asks, “So, how are we going to deal with the room situation? We each get a room or what?”

“We could do that, I will pay with my share tonight, so feel free to do as you please,” said Musu. “I for sure will be going solo.”

“Why dont we all just bunk up in a big room,” Elison added, “that would be much more fun”

Finna laughs, “Well Elison, why don’t you share with me and Saeta, we are used to being together.” He looks back to his brother, only to find him already passed out, not sure if he even heard the answer to his question. “You will have to help me get him upstairs though, think you can do that?”

“Yeah I can! Alright then”

“I’ll take a room for myself too then, thanks,” said Merovech, reading one of his books.

Musu finished up his drink, “Ok, three rooms it is. You two find a way to move monk boy up, I’ll go talk to the bartender.”

Elison takes out his spellbook to find something to lift his tired companion, while Musu waltzed towards the bar. His slightly drunken self couldn’t resist looking back at the cute waitress that crossed his path. 

“Good evening master, we require some accommodations for tonight’s rest. Two single rooms and a triple should do. Fanciest you got of course” said Musu with confidence slamming 10 gold on the bar.

“That can certainly be arranged sir. I will set up a tab for you and keep all your expenses in order.” said the bartender scooping up the coins.

“That would be great, also uuuh…” -shiftily looking around and getting closer for a whisper- “Do you offer extra recreation for the night? You know… Some playmates to unwind?” Even though he was used to this, Musu always blushed a little bit.

“Oh, of course sir. High quality and very discreet” -he pulls up a piece of parchment from behind the bar- “Just fill out this form with your preferences and we will sort you out.”

“Wow, that’s a fancy system” he said quickly reading through the options. It had always been an awkward chat when asking for this kind of service for Musu, so it was nice to just avoid all that and just write it down. However just as he was reaching for the quill the bartender provided, Musu noticed that Elison was standing right next to him looking over his arm, with a very disappointed look on his face.

“Mr Bernard… you are so mean.” said the boy with his arms crossed. “Are you really going to hire playmates instead of playing with us? I thought you liked us”

Musu could not contain his blush anymore, unsure on how much the boy had heard “Ummm… no, no, you see… this is… uhhh” 

“Mr bartender, sir. I would like a room for myself too then… And I want someone to play with as well” his chest puffed, chin high, he quickly snatched the parchment and started reading through. Elison clearly wasn’t going to let this one go so easily. The bartender was trying to hide his nervous smile, looking back and forth between Musu and Elison, hoping he wasn’t going to be the one to explain the situation. Musu composes himself again, takes a deep breath and grabs Elison by the shoulders and turns him around.

“Look it’s not what you think, alright. I’m not replacing you” he said in a low voice as he slowly shifted Elison back to the table. “We already bonded enough today, now it’s time for some private fun between adults, ok? We will continue our adventures tomorrow”

“Then if it is about adults, why don’t you play with Finna or Mr. M.? That way I can watch you all and learn for next time” Elison questioned pouting all the way. Musu looked at the table where the rest of the party was waiting, and for the next 2 seconds, all sorts of wild scenarios rushed through his mind. None of them he felt comfortable with.

“You know what? Let’s just keep it like this for now, yes? Just get your stuff upstairs and we will talk tomorrow” Musu said with a light blush growing up again. He quickly dumped Elison to the confused looking Finna, and went back to the bartender. He wasn’t used to talking with children, especially not with such an oblivious one.

After a few minutes, Musu comes back with instructions and some keys. They all finish up their food and drinks, while Elison summons his unseen servant to help get Saeta up the stairs. Merovech takes out his pipe, grabs the key to his room and goes out the main door, leaving the rest to their business. Musu offered to carry Saeta himself, but Elison refused as that wasn’t part of the deal of bunking up together, so he just helped carry their bags and they all went to their respective rooms.

The room was one of the largest Elison had seen. With some fancy dark colored interior, two big beds on one side, and a slightly smaller one on the corner, separated by paper screens with colorful designs, an in room bathroom setup, and even a small balcony at the other side of the door. They put Saeta in bed, and Elison immediately runs off to the balcony.

“Look, look! We are right above the river” Elison yells enthusiastically 

“Now watch your step Eli, that’s probably a nasty fall” Finna walked over and hooked his staff on Elison’s belt. He knew the boy had skills and was careful enough, but he also knew how jittery the boy got when excited. Better safe than sorry. The view was great though, the big moon over the pine forest reflected just right on the small running river that split the city in two. “We better get some rest now though. Tomorrow we have to do some cleanup back at the camp”

“Alright…” replied Elison in a low voice. He dropped his bag and armor next to the smaller bed. Finna sat down on one of the desks in the room and pulled up his diary to record all of what happened earlier today. Elison was about to close his eyes, but suddenly he heard a loud noise coming from the room next door followed by a door slam. It was enough to keep him awake a bit longer. _Rude customer,_ he thought to himself and tried to get comfortable again on his bed. But now it was a different sound, a very quiet sob coming from the balcony. Sounded like a boy was crying out there. He slowly got out of bed, looked out of the corner of the screen at Finna, who seemed to be focused on his writing. Elison quietly sneaked to the balcony and looked over. On the balcony next door, he saw a darker skinned boy dressed up in skimpy clothes and had a weird looking ankle bracelet. He was crying and was trying to cover himself up with a blanket. Elison hated to see boys cry, so he didn’t think it through and jumped over the railing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PRESTIDIGITATION (Cantrip)  
> This spell is a minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. You create one of the following magical effects within range:  
> You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor.  
> You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.  
> You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot.  
> You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour.  
> You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour.  
> You create a nonmagical trinket or an illusory image that can fit in your hand and that lasts until the end of your next turn.  
> If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action
> 
> THAUMATURGY (Cantrip)  
> You manifest a minor wonder, a sign of supernatural power, within range. You create one of the following magical Effects within range.  
> • Your voice booms up to three times as loud as normal for 1 minute.  
> • You cause flames to flicker, brighten, dim, or change color for 1 minute.  
> • You cause harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute.  
> • You create an Instantaneous sound that originates from a point of your choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, the cry of a raven, or ominous whispers.  
> • You instantaneously cause an unlocked door or window to fly open or slam shut.  
> • You alter the appearance of your eyes for 1 minute.  
> If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its 1-minute Effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an Effect as an action.
> 
> UNSEEN SERVANT (1st level ritual)  
> This spell creates an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command until the spell ends. The servant springs into existence in an unoccupied space on the ground within range.  
> Once on each of your turns as a bonus action, you can mentally command the servant to move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. The servant can perform simple tasks that a human servant could do, such as fetching things, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, and pouring wine. Once you give the command, the servant performs the task to the best of its ability until it completes the task, then waits for your next command.


	3. The lonely room

The crying boy jumped, as he noticed Elison was standing right there with him. He quickly wiped his tears, and stood up. “I apologize for my behaviour, it wasn’t my intention to cause any trouble.” he looked firm and confident even though his eyes were red and his hands had a slight tremble.

“What are you apologizing for? Did something happen?” Elison tried getting closer to him, but the boy stepped back.

“Everything is in order, please do not worry and go back. I don’t want to cause any more trouble” he bowed and motioned back to the balcony.

“Well… when people feel sad, the best thing to do is give them a hug, would you at least like one?” Elison hesitated, but he opened his arms and gave him a big smile. 

“Please sir, just… leave please. You don’t need to try and fix my mistakes” his eyes were watering up once again. 

“What do you mean ‘sir’” Elison laughed “I’m the same age as you! I’m Elison, what’s your name?” he asked as he slowly got closer.

“I’m Edan… Edan Fretz. I… I’ll be fine” he looked down to the floor. Elison noticed his guard finally lowered and he quickly got closer, grabbing his hand and pulling Edan for a hug.

“He he, see Edan that wasn’t so hard” Elison’s smile never left his face as he held the other boy. Edan couldn’t resist anymore and burst into tears once again hugging Elison back. He wasn’t used to this kind of affection, so even from a strange boy he gave in and welcomed it.

They sat down and took some distance, but Elison didn’t let go of Edan’s hand.

“Are you alone here? Where are your parents?”

“N-no… I have no parents. The Molten Rapier is just my workplace, but they… take care of me”

“Then why were you crying? This looks like an awesome place!”

Edan’s grip tightened.

“...some customers are… rougher than others. And I messed up”

Elison was confused, he didn’t understand at all.  _ Did he drop a food plate or something?  _ he thought. He looked around for some clues, but suddenly Edan once again jumped up, as they both heard some footsteps coming from the hallway.

“Elison, please. Just go back to your room. I’ll be alright” Edan implored as he pushed Elison towards the balcony. “I appreciate it, but you can’t do more for me”

“No can’t do, I’m not leaving you like this. Come with me” he wasn’t the smartest boy around, but even if he didn’t understand what made Edan feel like that, he knew something weird was up, and he wasn’t going to leave behind a friend to be unhappy.

“What?! No, you can’t be serious”

“Yeah I’m serious! C’mon, Finna will know what to do.” he was already up the railing with his hand forward to help Edan. 

It really wasn’t that far of a jump, anyone could make it over, but the view down certainly didn’t help. Best case scenario, you fall into the river’s freezing water after a 10 mt fall. That is, if you avoid the trees and sharp rocks at the edge of it. 

Edan shaked his head and stepped back. He looked at the door at the other side of the dark room, and back again at Elison. He had a look of fear on his face, and he wasn’t sure of which option he was more afraid of. 

Seeing the doubt on his face and realizing they were running out of time, Elison extended his hand grabbing Edan by the arm, adding magical energy at the same time. 

“You can do it, trust me.” 

Edan felt a bit more confident, nodded and mentally prepared himself. Just as the door to the room opened, they both jumped over, luckily without much noise, however it still alerted Finna who was still on his desk.

“Eli? W-wha...?” Finna stood up, confused. 

Elison shushed him and quickly closed the balcony door. Edan just stood there, unsure what to do. He bowed at Finna before Elison pulled him towards his bed, behind the screen. Finna already knew to expect the unexpected from this boy, so he didn’t question it for now. Instead he put his ear on the wall, and tried to hear what was going on. It was mostly a scuffle all over the room and some chatting not loud enough to understand. He looked back to see both boys peeking their heads from behind the screen. He grabbed his staff, silently imbued it with a slight magical touch, and signaled the boys to hide themselves. He walked to the door and opened it up, hiding his staff out of sight behind the door. 

“...Our sincerest apologies sir, I will talk to the manager and get this in order.” A middle aged dwarf walked out of the room next door, he was constantly apologizing and looked very nervous. 

“I expected more of this place from what I heard of it.” A tall man in a long coat rushed out of the room “Fix this. I’ll be waiting downstairs”

“Is everything alright?” Finna asked

The tall man didn’t even turn around, he just kept going down the hallway.

“Nothing to worry about sir, the son of one of our customers seems to be missing. Apparently he likes to play dress up and is quite shy. You wouldn’t have happened to see him would you?”

Finna tightened the grip on his staff, looked back towards Elison’s bed and back to the dwarf.

“No. We only have the one boy with us, and he is already fast asleep. I’ll keep an eye out for you”  


The dwarf was lying. Finna was old enough to have learned how to read people. No point in discussing any further, besides now he was really interested in what Elison got himself into. 

The dwarf turned around to leave, he was doing some hand motions as he walked downstairs. Finna recognized it as the Sending spell. More people were getting involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUIDANCE (Cantrip)  
> You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends.
> 
> SHILLELAGH (Cantrip)  
> The wood of a club or quarterstaff you are holding is imbued with nature’s power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon’s damage die becomes a d8. The weapon also becomes magical, if it isn’t already. The spell ends if you cast it again or if you let go of the weapon.
> 
> SENDING (1st Level Spell)  
> You send a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which you are familiar. The creature hears the message in its mind, recognizes you as the sender if it knows you, and can answer in a like manner immediately. The spell enables creatures with Intelligence scores of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your message.


End file.
